Identification of the Effect of Swedish Massage on Women's Anxiety Level, Labour Pain and Labour Process

Identification of the Effect of Swedish Massage on Women's Anxiety Level, Labour Pain and Labour Process This study aims to identify the effect of Swedish massage on women's anxiety level, labour pain and labour process The present study, which utilized randomized controlled experimental design, was conducted between 1st of March and 30th of May, 2017. Target population was all pregnant women who were admitted to Adana Maternity and Children Hospital for labour, and the participants were 64 pregnant women. Ethical approval and permission was obtained from the hospital, and informed consent was obtained from the participants. Data were collected through the Personal Information Form, assessment form on the labour process, assessment form on the labour outcome, Visual Analogue Scale, and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Data were analyzed in SPSS 22 package program. Statistical significance was taken p<0,05. Average age of the women was found 22,08±2,73. Of all the participants, 56,3% had education level of primary school or below, 84,4% did not work, 62,5% had good income, and 81,3% had health security. Experimental and control groups were similar in terms of their socio-demographic and pregnancy-related features (p>0,05). No significant differences were detected between the experimental and control groups in terms of their Trait Anxiety Scale scores (p>0,05). There was a significant difference between the experimental and control group participants in terms of their State Anxiety Scale mean scores before and after the practice (p<0,05). Pain mean score of the control group after the practice was found to be significantly higher in comparison to the experimental group (p<0,01). Total labour duration of the participants in the control group was found to be significantly higher in comparison to the experimental group (p<0,01). Massage satisfaction mean score of the women in the experimental group was 9,91±0,30, and all of them reportedly wanted to have a massage in the following labours. Results of the present study showed that Swedish massage was effective in decreasing pregnant women's labour pain and anxiety levels, shortening the labour duration, and increasing patient satisfaction. Key words: Pain, labour, pregnant, anxiety, Swedish massage